Student FAQs

Yes. To qualify for this program, students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnic category, not a racial category; students may be of any race. For purposes of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, students must be from a family whose ancestors came from at least one of these countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Spain, Uruguay, or Venezuela.

No. An applicant must be a US citizen, permanent legal resident, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), or an eligible non-citizen (as defined by Federal Student Aid). For more information, click here.

Yes. Additionally, students with refugee or asylum status must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to qualify for an HSF Scholarship. For more information about FAFSA eligibility, click here.

No. An applicant must be a US citizen, permanent legal resident, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), or an eligible non-citizen (as defined by Federal Student Aid). For more information, click here.

Please contact HSF’s Scholarships Department through your MyHSF Profile. Make sure to provide a description of your citizenship or residency status in your message so that the HSF Scholarships Team can determine your eligibility.

Yes. However, applicants with high school or college grades from another country must report their GPA on the scholarship application. Additionally, all recipients must attend an accredited, not-for-profit, university or graduate school for the fall and spring terms, during the year in which they are awarded.

HSF Scholarships are available to community college students who are transferring to an accredited, four-year program at a not-for-profit university during the year in which they applied for the scholarship and to those who are enrolled in a four-year program at their respective community college.

Yes. Applicants may be enrolled part-time at the time of application. However, students must be enrolled full-time in the fall term, in order to be eligible to receive funding. HSF verifies enrollment before scholarship awards are disbursed.

Yes. As long as your home school program will issue you an official high school transcript to submit to HSF, you are eligible to apply. Additionally, you may submit a transcript produced by your program or the person in charge of your home schooling, however, the transcript must be signed by credentialed teacher or an individual with a master degree that can attest that the grades listed on the transcript are valid.

Additionally, you must pursue a degree at a four-year college the following school year, beginning in the fall term.

No. HSF requires all recipients to be enrolled full time at an accredited, four year, college/university or graduate school for the fall term in the year in which they are awarded. Please note, official institution deferments, documented leaves of absence, and gap year programs in the fall will not be considered.

Once your scholarship application has been submitted, you will not be allowed to make any changes to it. However, if your information changes, and you are selected as a finalist, you will be able to update your information at a later date.

All finalists will be sent an email during the awards confirmation process. Further, all selected recipients will be asked to update their information during the awards acceptance process. The following information must be correct prior to disbursement:

If selected to move forward in the HSF selection process, HSF will request that you confirm which institution you will attend in the fall, your fall class level and major or field of study (for graduate students). Additionally, if you are going to be a freshman, transfer student or 1st year graduate student in the fall, you will be asked to provide the names of any other institutions you were accepted to.

Scholarship awards are disbursed between the months of September and December in the fall term of the year awarded. Please note that all scholarship awards are contingent upon proof of full-time enrollment and the student’s total financial aid package.

Successful candidates are selected on the basis of academic achievement, personal strengths, leadership, and commitment to giving back to the community. All completed applications are evaluated by HSF certified readers. Once they have been read, we then begin our rigorous process of selection. Some scholarships are open to all class levels, institutions, majors and locations, whereas others have more specific criteria to which we must match eligible applicants. It is important that the information an applicant provides regarding his/her intended school/major be as up to date as possible, prior to our selection process.

The HSF selection process consists of several stages: Submitted, Finalist, and Scholar

An applicant will be categorized into the submitted stage when both the application and Recommendation Form have been received.

Applications given the highest scores by our readers become Finalists and must submit additional documents, such as academic transcripts and a final Student Aid Report (SAR), upon request. After all Finalists’ documents have been collected, the top scoring applicants, in descending order, will be categorized as Scholars and receive an award or be waitlisted for an award.

Scholars who are waitlisted for an award may not receive an initial award, but will continue to be considered for an award if additional funding becomes available during the current award cycle.

Scholars who do not receive an award will have access to all of the same services and resources that awarded HSF Scholars do, with the exception of the monetary award, itself.

Unfortunately, every year, the applications we get from deserving students greatly outnumber the awards we have available. Accordingly, selection is highly competitive and not every strong student will make the final cut.

It’s also important to remember that if your application is incomplete, you will not be considered for a scholarship. Many bright students miss out on opportunities because they submit incomplete applications.

Take charge of your application process by:

Following up with school officials, as well as recommenders, and making sure they have completed the forms they’re responsible for, correctly and on time.

Make sure to follow all instructions carefully.

Have a teacher, counselor or parent review your application to make sure you didn’t overlook anything.

Yes. However, documentation between your home institution and host institution will be required. You must submit the following items*:

Enrollment Verification forms from each campus you are attending

A copy of official documentation from your home institution (i.e. Consortium Agreement; Dual Enrollment; Transient Agreements, etc.). If you are unsure what a Consortium Agreement is, please visit your academic advisor

A brief written explanation as to why you cannot be full-time at one campus that includes a list of the classes and their unit/hour value, in which you are enrolled, per campus

*It is important that these documents be uploaded to your Document Bank within your scholarship application. We will need to review this documentation in order to make a final decision.

No. In order to be eligible for an HSF Scholarship, students must be enrolled full-time in the fall and spring terms, for the year in which the scholarship is awarded. Please note that scholarship funds cannot be deferred to another academic term or school year

Our intention is to make the best possible match of scholarship to student. Accordingly, once you are selected for one HSF scholarship, you are out of the running for other HSF Scholarships. Hence, we highly encourage you to accept the scholarship offered.

An HSF Scholar who is waitlisted for an award will not receive an initial award, but will continue to be considered for an award if additional funding becomes available during the current award cycle. Additionally, Scholars waitlisted for an award will have access to all of the same services and resources that awarded HSF Scholars do, with the exception of the monetary award, itself.

Please continue to check your email as you may be receiving requests to submit documents and update your status. It is imperative that you complete the necessary information by the due dates provided. Scholars selected to receive HSF Scholarships can lose their scholarships if their information isn’t submitted by the requested deadlines. Scholars who are waitlisted for an award and who submit their documents in a timely manner, may be awarded scholarship dollars as funding becomes available.

Students who are selected as HSF Scholars will be required to take an online HSF Scholar Pledge. Completion of the HSF Scholar Pledge is a student’s commitment to serving as a role model and to giving back to the Latino Community. Additionally, HSF Scholars will be required to submit periodic online Scholar Surveys which will provide HSF with insight on the profile and needs of our Scholars in order to provide relevant and effective scholar services.

Note, more information about the HSF Scholar Pledge and Surveys will be emailed to HSF Scholars before scholarship funds are disbursed.

In order to reactivate your multiyear scholarship, formerly known as renewal or cohort scholarships, you must login to your MyHSF profile and complete your scholarship application. At the start of the application, you will be required to enter your personal authorization code, formerly known as a coupon code, in order to access the application. Authorization codes will be emailed to each scholar separately. Therefore, make sure to update your contact information on your MyHSF profile as soon as possible.

Unlike new applicants, you will NOT be required to answer the application essays and to submit recommendations. Additionally, all multiyear scholarship recipients are required to upload the following documents into their Document Bank on the scholarship application:

Student Aid Report (SAR)

Financial Aid Award Letter (FAAL)

Academic Transcript

Enrollment Verification

For more information about these documents please refer to the ‘Supporting Document’ section of the FAQs.

Your status as an HSF scholarship recipient is contingent upon verification of full-time enrollment at an accredited, four-year or graduate, not-for-profit institution this year. Once your Enrollment Verification is received and your Wells Fargo Payment Management profile is created/confirmed, your award will be processed. Instructions on how to set-up a Wells Fargo Payment Management profile will be emailed to scholarship recipients in August/September.

Scholarship awards will be in the range of $500-$5,000 and will be determined based on your financial aid award from your institution.

Please note that all users of HSF.net will need to set up a MyHSF profile, which becomes your scholarship account. If you already have an account, you will not be asked to enter all of your information again. All of your previous scholarship information will be transferred to your MyHSF profile. If you do not yet have a MyHSF profile, click here to create it.

We updated our scholarship application in January 2015. Therefore, previous scholarship/application IDs have been replaced with new ID numbers. Your new scholarship ID will be made available to you once you login to your MyHSF profile. Please make sure to reference the new ID when contacting HSF

All documents should be uploaded via your MyHSF portal into your Document Bank, per application instructions. Only documents uploaded into the scholarship application’s Document Bank will be reviewed. Documents sent by US Mail or fax will not be accepted. For more information and instructions, click ‘Document Bank’ in your scholarship application.

No. HSF’s online system is completely secure. Encrypted documents usually lead to disruptions in the scholarship application review process. Often times, the HSF Scholarships Team is unable to read and verify the receipt of documents if they are encrypted.

HSF accepts all word processing documents in PDF format. All images must be in the form of GIF, JPEG or PNG. Each document must be under 5 mb.

You are required to upload your official or unofficial academic transcript(s) only when requested to do so. If requested, scan and upload a PDF copy of your transcript(s) to your Document Bank, which is accessible through your MyHSF profile. You may also submit a screen shot of your transcripts from your college student portal. Handwritten transcripts will not be accepted.

Your transcript(s) must clearly indicate your name and institution. You may click ‘View’ after uploading your transcript(s) to verify the document is legible.

If your transcript does not include an academic GPA, please request a GPA and written explanation that describes how the GPA was calculated from your counselor or Registrar.

If a particular transcript runs more than one page, you must scan all pages and merge into ONE file, then upload the entire transcript in PDF format to your Document Bank. The same procedure is required for any additional, multi-page documents you wish to upload. Each document must be under 5 mb.

If your question is not answered and you require additional assistance, please contact us via your MyHSF Message Center.

Yes. If classes and grades received in a foreign country are not already listed on your home institution’s transcript, you will be required to submit an English translation of each non-English transcript.

If your US institution does not translate your transcripts for you, visit either www.ece.org, or www.wes.org, for more information. Once your transcript(s) is/are translated, upload each international transcript, along with a copy of its translation, to your scholarship application’s Document Bank. Each transcript, with its translation, should be uploaded as a separate file.

HSF processes citizenship verification through the Student Aid Report (SAR). Therefore, it is not necessary to submit additional proof of residency to HSF. Please note that all US citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-US citizens must submit a FAFSA, in order to be able to provide HSF with a SAR. If you meet the residency criteria previously mentioned and do not file a FAFSA, you are ineligible for HSF Scholarships.

Yes. Students with DACA status will be required to upload a copy of their valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD) into the scholarship application’s Document Bank. Expired EADs will not be accepted. For an example of an EAD, click here.

Applicants will be prompted to list recommenders’ contact information on the application. HSF will release recommender emails on January 15th. After January 15th, recommenders will be emailed their link within 24 hours after the applicant submits their scholarship application.

Recommenders must complete the electronic Recommendation Form online. Please note that one recommendation must be from an academic reference; the second is optional and can be submitted by anyone who is not a family member or friend. All online Recommendation Forms must be submitted by April 15th 11:59 pm PST.

Please note, some email security systems block emails from HSF. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

Recommenders are persons whom you have asked to complete an online Recommendation Form on your behalf, as part of your scholarship application. In order for your application to be considered complete, you must submit 1 completed academic recommendation. Your academic recommender must be an instructor, an advisor/counselor, or someone who is able to evaluate you academically (e.g., academic performance, motivation, plans and goals).

Additional recommenders can be academic or nonacademic. Secondary recommenders must be able to evaluate your community service and extracurricular activities (e.g. leadership, work ethic, and commitment).

If you have been out of school for two or more years, your academic recommendation may come from a non-academic recommender who is familiar with the work you do and holds a position that is greater than your title. The recommendation should evaluate your intellectual capabilities, as well as your work ethic. Non-academic recommenders can be colleagues in your field of work and or anyone in a managerial position that has worked closely with you (such as a boss, a coach, a volunteer coordinator – or a pastor or priest, if you are active in your church and your pastor or priest is able to comment on your intellectual capabilities and work ethic).

Please note, recommendations from family members, family friends, and other close friends are discouraged.

Please be sure to ask your recommenders’ permission prior to submitting their names and email addresses to us. Be sure they have agreed to complete the online Recommendation Form for you, and let them know that they will receive an email from us on how to proceed, within 24 hours after you have submitted your scholarship application.

HSF suggests you provide your recommenders with an updated resume to assist them in filling out their forms.

Please note, some email security systems block emails from HSF. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

Recommenders will be able to access the Recommendation Form by setting up and logging into a MyHSF account. Hence, we require the contact information you provide on your application form to include an email address for each recommender.

Please note, some email security systems block emails from HSF. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

On the MyHSF sign-in page, recommenders have the option to click on ‘Forgot Your Email?’ or ‘Forgot Your Password?’ in order to retrieve their login information. If the issue continues, ask your recommender to contact us via his/her MyHSF Message Center. Don’t delay!

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as the FAFSA) is a form that can be submitted annually by current and prospective college students in the US to determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid (including Pell Grants, work-study programs, and loans). All US citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-US citizens must submit a FAFSA, in order to be able to provide HSF with a Student Aid Report. If you meet the residency criteria previously mentioned and do not file a FAFSA, you are ineligible for HSF Scholarships.

The US Department of Education starts accepting FAFSA applications October 1st of each year, for the upcoming academic year. For more information and eligibility requirements, click here.

Please note that you can apply for financial aid before you file your taxes. Corrections to your (FAFSA) application can always be submitted after you and/or your parents have filed for taxes and/or after the FAFSA has been submitted

The Student Aid Report (SAR) is a report of your responses on the FAFSA by the US Department of Education, once the FAFSA application has been processed. The SAR contains information the student provided on the FAFSA as well as the resulting federally calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The financial aid office of the student’s institution will use the information contained in the SAR in order to determine the student's eligibility for federal student aid programs. HSF uses the EFC, as well as the student’s financial aid package, to determine the student’s financial need. For more information about the SAR, click here.

HSF requires students with DACA status who do not qualify for the FAFSA as a result of immigration status, to apply for their state’s financial aid program, if available. Scholarships applicants from particular states that have state financial aid programs available to students with DACA status must submit a copy of their state’s version of a State Student Aid Report to HSF. If you are a student with DACA status and your state of residence does not permit you to apply to your state’s financial aid program, such as the CA Dream Act you can still apply for HSF Scholarships. For more information about state financial aid programs for undocumented students, click here.

After you submit your application for financial aid, you will receive a FAAL from the college(s) that you were admitted to and that you listed on your financial aid application, typically in early to mid-April. This letter outlines the details of your financial at that institution. Note, your FAAL may also be contained within your college/institutional portal. A financial aid package is a collection of different types of financial assistance from multiple sources (federal, state and from the institution) and different types (grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study). It is intended to help you pay for college costs, or the cost of attendance (COA). For more information about financial aid award letters click here. An example of a financial aid award letter can be found by clicking here.

HSF acknowledges that every student has a unique financial situation. As a result, HSF customizes scholarship awards based on a careful assessment of remaining student need after all other financial aid is calculated.

If this is the first year you will be attending your institution, you will have received a FAAL from your college either in the mail or via your online student portal. If you are a returning student, you will typically be able to find your FAAL via your online student portal. If you are having trouble locating your FAAL, please consult with your financial aid department at your college/university.

You will need to upload your FAAL to your Document Bank, which you can access by logging into your application. If your document is in paper form, please scan and upload. If your document can only be accessed through your student portal (online) then you may print, scan and upload or take clear screen shots, save the images in one of our supported file types and upload. The supported file types are PDF, JPG, JPEG and PNG with a maximum file size of 5MB.

Note: Acceptance letters, tuition bills, and directions on how to access your student portal will not be accepted.

If requested, you must submit your FAAL to HSF, including graduate students and students under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Contact your institution’s financial aid office to inquire about your FAAL. Additionally, make sure to check your institution portal for any pending documents and/or actions required by your institution. Please note that many institutions no longer mail FAALs to students and instead post them on the online student college/institutional portals. If you are not receiving financial aid from your institution, please upload proof such as a screenshot of the notification which states that you have no funds awarded for the school year.

Note: Acceptance letters, tuition bills and directions on how to access your student portal will not be accepted.

In most cases, financial aid offices provide students with DACA status with a FAAL that provides the student with a clear indication of the costs associated with attending the institution and lists any institutional or private financial aid for the student. Please note, if requested, you must submit a FAAL. If you are not receiving financial aid from your institution, please upload proof such as a screenshot of the notification which states that you have no funds awarded for the school year.

Note: Acceptance letters, tuition bills and directions on how to access your student portal will not be accepted.

If selected as a scholarship recipient you’ll be prompted to submit a fall Enrollment Verification. The HSF Enrollment Verification form and additional details will be sent to all scholarship recipients late summer. Verification of full-time enrollment must be uploaded to your Document Bank.

Yes, there are several options for submitting an official Enrollment Verification form to HSF. You can go directly to your institutions registrar’s office and request an official Enrollment Verification form.

OR

Quickest method: You can submit an official Enrollment Verification from the National Student Clearinghouse. This is an organization with whom most US institutions register, and which offers a verification form as an expedited service. You can go to their website at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/ and for a nominal fee, they will send you a PDF version of your Enrollment Verification instantly.

OR

You may use the HSF Enrollment Verification form which will be emailed to you. You can take this form to your registrar’s office for completion. Please be sure to complete the student portion of the form and that the registrar’s office has completed all questions on its portion.

Your Enrollment Verification form must be dated at least one day after your first day of class.

Funding comes from a variety of sources. The majority of our funds come from corporations and foundations that support higher education for Latinos. Some of our funds also come from individual donors. Click here to view our sponsors.

No. HSF Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors planning to enroll in a four-year college after graduation, community college transfers, and students already enrolled in college or graduate school. However, HSF does provide outreach programs for middle and high school students who plan to attend college. Click here to view our outreach programs.

Yes, but HSF funds can only be applied to costs associated with study abroad if:

You remain enrolled in your home university;

The program occurs during the normal academic year (Fall, Winter, Spring in quarter system, Fall and Spring for semester system); and

You will be receiving US college credit towards your degree

To qualify, you must submit an Enrollment Verification form from your home university, after being notified that you have been selected to receive an HSF Scholarship. Enrollment Verifications from institutions abroad will not be accepted.

Non-financial benefits include a range of programs and services that will help you to excel while you’re in college, achieve a successful transition to the career of your choice, make important contacts along the way, and be part of our nationwide HSF Alumni network, and our extended HSF Family, for life. In addition, you will be entitled to list yourself as a recipient of this honor in any future applications, profiles, or forums that recognize honors and awards.

A number of our scholarship programs include an internship component; none are mandatory. For the programs that do, HSF or the scholarship donor contacts scholarship recipients with information on how to proceed with the internship process. Additionally, all HSF Scholars will have access to our very own virtual Career Center, HSF Insider newsletter, and HSF events aimed at connecting HSF Scholars with our corporate partners’ internship and employment opportunities.

Yes. HSF has the discretion to enact random verification on select scholarship applications to ensure the validity of the information entered in applications. Additionally, HSF verifies all required documents.

No, it is all there. When you login to MyHSF, click on ‘Scholarships Application,’ and you will be taken to our scholarship application system. The application will allow you to save your work and return to it until you submit.